When we bought the home, it was a one-story structure, with one bedroom and one bath. It was badly in need of maintenance. Some serious water damage issues in the back required us to take that portion down to the foundation and rebuild it. But the house had a good layout, good “bones,” and it was on a lovely corner lot in Decatur Terrace, a niche community between Avondale Estates and Decatur.

Less than a year later, the home was complete, a true Craftsman designed to blend with the existing neighborhood—that also accommodates the space and technology needs of the family living there.

Because it was already well laid-out, only minimal changes were made to the first floor plan. But all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems did need to be replaced.

We designed a second story that would expand the home to a three-bedroom, three-bath home, without overwhelming the original foundation. It also allowed us to add an upstairs family room.

The home now includes a “technology niche” in the master bedroom—a HausWerks specialty. In addition to housing a digital music server, it provides storage for all of today’s handheld technology. Cell phones, MP3 players, laptops, Blackberries can all be charged and reloaded for the next busy day in one convenient location.

The home has been designed for maximum accessibility on the first floor, with a roll in shower, wider openings, and other accessibility features, which perfectly accommodates the new owner, who lives with her elderly father.

Just a few of the enhancements:

• custom maple cabinetry
• large master suite with huge closet
• double lavatories in an Indian marble countertop
• raised whirlpool tub with separate shower enclosure
• full audio-visual wiring for cable, high definition TV and digital music server
• infrared remote control keypads with speakers throughout the home
• granite and marble countertops in the kitchen and baths
• mission style casement windows
• high profile architectural shingles
• original red oak flooring
• inlaid wood leaves in the new red oak stairs
• large front porch and a screened porch in the back yard
• cappuccino/wine bar in the dining room
• breakfast room

HausWerks has retained many original touches, including the original fireplace surround and a telephone shelf in the hallway

Building in this historic neighborhood required HausWerks to obtain a variance from DeKalb County. This was granted because we were providing a historically accurate infill home, appropriate to the neighborhood in both scale and proportion to the other homes.